The Wild Witch
by MandyTrimm
Summary: Harry and his friends have spent the past year overcoming their emotional scars. Everyone's changed; some for the better, some for the worst. And the key to overcoming the past and the future may lie with a girl that is lost in a tragic battle of her own.
1. Ch 1: Confrontation

Chapter One: Confrontation

"Well, what do you think?"

Hermione Granger turned around to stare at her longtime best friend. He had recently decided he would purchase a set of contact lenses along with his normal round glasses. His bright green eyes shone brightly in his nervous face as he waited for her answer. She closed her book and smiled up at him.

"Harry, you look great!" She told him, "I almost don't recognize you."

"Yeah? It feels weird not having my glasses on…" Harry told her looking in the nearest mirror.

He was glad that the mirrors were floor to ceiling since most mirrors didn't accommodate his height of 6'3". He looked himself over and was quite pleased with his reflection; he didn't look nearly as geeky as he had with his glasses. He'd spent the past year growing out his thick black hair like Sirius had suggested and had bought some clothes that actually fit. He didn't want to be conceited, but he was pretty sure he'd now fall under the 'hot' category.

Hermione smiled watching Harry adjust the collar on his button up shirt. Harry's appearance had been changing for a year and he had become quite good looking. He was tall and muscular from playing so much Quidditch. His hair had a wild untamed look to it that looked good on him. She suspected his sudden inspiration to look different was brought on by a certain red haired girl that was currently across the street with her brother arguing over Quidditch tactics and 'slut-wear'.

"Mr. Potter? How do they feel?" The optometrist asked walking over to join them.

"Fine, a bit odd without my glasses" Harry told him.

"I suppose they would, you said you've always had glasses?"

"Always, blind as a bat without them."

The optometrist laughed as he led Harry over to a desk and began filling out paperwork. Hermione glanced out the window and across the street while putting her book in her purse. Her two other friends were wandering around outside the clothing store waiting for Harry to finish his purchase. She smiled as she watched her boyfriend, Ron Weasley, stop to consider a sales rack of fall clothes on display outside the store.

"All done," She heard Harry say.

"Great, let's go show you off then."

"It's not that big a deal," Harry said turning red.

Hermione laughed and led them out of the store and across the street to join their friends.

"Ron would you please just pick something out? I'd like to shop for myself!"

"Well, I'd already be done by now if you'd just help, Ginny!" Ron argued.

"I already told you that the red one clashes with your hair, get the brown one…"

"Yeah, but I like the print on the red one!" Ron said holding the red hoodie up.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked.

"Ron! He wants to buy a new hooded sweatshirt but won't make up his mind!" Ginny said exasperated.

"Ginny says the red clashes with my hair, but I don't like the pattern on the brown one…" Ron said defensively.

Hermione looked them both over while Ginny fawned over Harry's new look. She looked at the rack of clothes and picked out a hooded sweatshirt. It was solid black with the same print as the red one.

"What about this? It won't clash with your hair and it has the pattern you like."

"Brilliant! I didn't even see that one!" Ron said hanging the other two up.

Ever since Ron had began working at his brother's joke shop he had become determined to buy some new clothes for himself, though his wardrobe was still mostly hand-me-downs his new clothes made all the difference. He looked good in fitted jeans and simple t-shirts. On cold days he accessorized with a sweatshirt but not much else. He and Harry played Quidditch constantly and the exercise had given Ron a muscular build, a build Hermione found irresistible. Harry and Ron had both applied for spots on the local London Quidditch team but only Harry had been asked to join. Harry, being the good friend he was, turned the job down to stay next to his best friend.

"Oy, nice look mate. You look good without the glasses," Ron told Harry finally noticing.

"Thanks, let's go inside I want a new pair of jeans. Hagrid's last batch of skrewts burnt a hole clear through my last good pair." Harry said pointing at his right leg, there was a large hole under the knee.

"I thought you liked holes in your jeans, besides why don't you just use magic?" Ginny laughed.

"I didn't really like these jeans to start with…"

"Right, it has nothing to do with the fact that you saw Draco Malfoy wearing the same ones at Slytherin Spirits the other night!" Ginny cracked up.

"It doesn't!" Harry insisted.

Hermione and Ginny laughed remembering the utter horror on Harry's face when they'd run into Draco Malfoy at the new club in Diagon Alley wearing the exact same outfit. He'd already pitched the shirt because it had "shrunk" in the laundry and now, conveniently, skrewts had burned the jeans. Harry muttered something under his breath as he wandered into the clothing store.

Inside they split up for different departments; Ron for some new shoes, Harry for some new jeans, and the girls for some new everything. Ginny fawned over the suede and silk jackets while Hermione looked over the variously cropped shirts. Ginny was already heading for a dressing booth when Hermione finally found some things she couldn't let go. She lifted five black shirts into her arms, grabbed four pairs of dark denim jeans, and a couple black hoodies. She headed for the booth next to Ginny's and tried everything on admiring the tightly fit jeans and the different tops.

An hour later they were showing off their purchases at an outdoor bistro and eating their way-late afternoon lunch. The days were getting shorter and darkness came early so they had to cut their day short. Ginny listened intently about Hermione's new books. She'd purchased all fourteen in a set on, surprisingly, fashion and interior design. Harry and Ron were discussing the latest match between the Puddlemere United team and Wimbourne Wasps.

"Hermione, show me the clothes you bought, you wouldn't in the store."

"Oh, well. Alright," Hermione said grabbing a different bag.

"It's all black," Ron said surprised looking at the five new outfits Hermione had bought.

A couple of the tops and hoodies had little sparkly skulls on them with swirl patterns. Hermione ran her hand across the patterns adoringly.

"I know, but I kind of like black… and I don't own much of it. Besides look how cute they are!" Hermione said showing them to Ginny.

"I like them, a little punky for me, but they're still cute. Besides, those jeans look like they could be a second skin," Ginny told her then she looked at her brother and winked.

Ron turned red and went back to eating his lunch; he could just picture Hermione in the tight jeans already. Hermione turned equally as red as she pictured how tight they really were, second skin was definitely a good description for them. Ginny and Harry laughed watching the couple blush a bright scarlet. Ginny looked at her watch and finished her food as she packed her stuff back away in the bags. Harry was just going to take the last bite of his sandwich when he choked on it.

"Oh my god, Harry! Are you okay?" Ginny asked reaching for his water.

Instead of answering he just pointed behind Hermione and took a large drink. They all turned to look in the direction he pointed and saw a familiar head of platinum blonde hair and expensive clothes. The guy's black silk shirt reflected the sunlight while the dark denim jeans sucked it in.

"Draco Malfoy?" Ron said in utter bewilderment. "In muggle London?"

"I thought he hated muggles…" Ginny said just as confused.

"Well, he was wearing muggle clothes at the club, and he is today too, so maybe he's just shopping…" Hermione said.

"Either way, it's weird seeing him out here," Harry said having caught his breath.

"Well, since we're all finished with linner, what say we go to one of those picture things," Ron suggested.

Hermione and Harry laughed while Ginny nodded.

"Ron their called movies. And what is linner?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, right. Movies. You know, linner, what you have when it's way past lunch but not quite dinner," Ron explained.

They all laughed this time.

"Only you Ronald, only you. Alright let's go!" Hermione said grabbing up her bags.

"Here I got them. I'll shrink them later when we're out of sight." Ron said taking all her bags.

Hermione smiled up at him sweetly behind extraordinarily dark eyeliner and mascara. She recently began doing her makeup like some muggle girls she'd seen in a few magazines. It was dark and dramatic, and she loved it. "Just be careful with my books, I don't want the edges to get dented."

"You guys go ahead, I'm going to get a soda to go," Ginny told them.

"Yeah, alright. We'll wait for you at the moonies"

"Movies" Hermione whispered in Ron's ear.

"Urm, movies!"

Harry and Ginny laughed as they watched the two walk away. They fell silent and didn't say anything for a couple minutes.

"It's been two weeks Harry, we need to tell them," Ginny said quietly sipping on a cherry-ade soda.

"I know, but I don't want to upset them. They've just started to act like themselves again," Harry said watching them turn a corner out of sight.

"Yes, but we can't keep lying to them. _I_ can't. Harry…"

"What's the matter?" Harry asked hearing the tone of her voice change.

"Harry… Seamus asked me out last night and I said yes," Ginny told him avoiding eye contact. "I just can't keep pretending anymore."

Harry was silent for a long moment as he thought about it. A few months back Seamus had finally learned to turn water into rum, and surprisingly since then it had become quite famous with the local pubs in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Last he'd heard Seamus was planning on opening his own business 'The Seamus Swill'. He'd always known Seamus had a minor crush on Ginny, but he'd never acted on it. He wasn't exactly surprised he'd got the courage to speak up.

"I see," he said at last. "That's great."

"No, Harry, it isn't! Because right now my entire family and most of our friends think we are still dating! That would make me a cheater!" Ginny said frustrated.

"Listen, I know you don't want to keep this from them anymore but I just need a couple days, please Ginny, the last thing I need is to upset Ron and Hermione again."

After the battle at Hogwarts Ron had become incredibly depressed and easily angered. The death of Fred Weasley had been extraordinarily hard on Ron; even more so than Fred's own twin brother, George. Ron had avoided any conversation about the battle, his brother, or anything that remotely came close to forcing him to think about the past. He was finally reverting back to the old Ron now that he was working at the joke shop.

Hermione had done much the same thing except that she had gone to France to find her parents and came back drastically changed. No one knew what exactly she'd found there but when she came back she refused to talk to anyone and preferred to remain in the library or her room reading. They'd spent the past year just getting her to have a simple conversion at all. A couple months ago she started joining them in their daily activities and talking again

"Okay, Harry. I'll give you a week. But after that I'm telling them myself. I have to live my life," Ginny told him.

"Okay."

"Okay."

They sat there another minute before Harry grabbed all their shopping bags.

"Let's go catch that movie."

Draco had been frequenting in Muggle London a lot lately. Draco had been taught since a young age that Muggles were disgusting, unworthy creatures in their world. He recalled time and time again when such creatures had been used as slaves under his father's control. He was disgusted by every one of them and their magicless lives. Now he often found himself observing and wondering how they managed to live their lives without the use of magic. He was currently traveling the busy streets and peering into shops in which children screamed and yelled and adults ran back and forth. Such a strange group of people he found here.

Somehow, he couldn't help but find himself intrigued by the many Muggle girls. They communicated with things called "mobiles" which allowed them to talk to others the same way as floo powder. They all had them. There were varieties of them. They had different colors, different shapes, different sounds that told them someone wanted to talk to them. He found it rather interesting. Everywhere he went girls were on one of those _things_. Talking to someone or another very dramatically as if it was the most important thing in the world, even if they had friends to talk to right there with them. _Stupid, the whole lot of them,_ he thought.

That was the other thing that got his attention. The girls here ran in groups. Groups of three, groups of six, sometimes even groups of ten. Where the boys went in twos and threes at the most. And boy did the girls talk. They never seemed to run out of something to say or some interesting topic of discussion. They ate together, shopped together; they even went to the bathroom together. Everywhere he went there were groups of giggling girls dragging each other here and there. It made him feel strange; kind of dizzy and lonesome. He wondered what it would be like to go on a stroll in Muggle London to the ritzy diners with Pansy. Or play the game he overheard from Muggle men called "pool" with Crabbe and Goyle at a bar. Draco snorted with this thought. _Right, those two morons can't even walk properly let alone attempt to play a game, Muggle or not_.

He passed shops with flowers, jewelry, clothes, dozens of bakeries and half a dozen other shops with knickknacks and bits and bobs. But he didn't bother stopping at any of them. He knew where he wanted to go. Weeks ago he had found a high class café that had the best food and drinks he'd ever tasted. Well, after that McDougals place that served those things called "ham burgers." He still hadn't quite come up with a logical explanation as to how they turned a ham into a brown patty that tasted nothing like ham. He was sure that magic had to have been involved somehow but as of yet he hadn't managed to find a single spell book that discussed the topic.

He stopped outside a quiet café that you could just barely hear the gentle sound of music playing inside. The only view you had of it was the entrance. The rest of the building was hidden with privacy walls. He peered in through the door a moment. He hadn't been here in a couple weeks and something seemed different about the place. He opened the door and went in.

Kallison sat down at her favorite table in her favorite café now called the New Green Café. She looked up into the clear blue sky where the ceiling used to be and was now fully glass. She ordered her favorite pomegranate Borba water and a strawberry fro-yo. The waitress smiled at her.

"You really like this place, huh!" The waitress said to her. It was more a statement than a question.

She smiled back at the waitress whose name she had learned was Jenny a couple weeks back.

"Yes, I really do. The food is good, the company is good, and there's never much noise. This is the perfect spot to unwind and just read a book. And these renovations have made it even better!" She told her.

Jenny laughed staring up through the glass ceiling at the birds flying over head. "This place sure is something else now, I mean; we've always grown our own veggies… But, even the new chairs and tables are made from recycled wood… However they managed that one!" She started to turn but stopped. "Let me know if you need refills, they're on the house today. I love your outfit by the way, too cute!" The waitress said with a wink and a thumbs up before walking away.

Kallison smiled. She came here every day. This place had become home away from home. But lately she'd stopped coming as often except for the past two weeks. Since June she had been getting the strangest feelings that someone was watching her here. But every time she looked around the other customers seemed to all be lost in their own worlds and so she chalked it up to insanity. That was until four weeks ago…

Kallison had come to the café early that particular day. She had ordered her usual and was heading to her seat when she passed a center table. She had made eye contact with the guy sitting there and felt instant chills. Goose bumps ran up and down her spine as she took in his platinum blonde hair and deathly pale skin. His eyes were dark and haunted. She looked away and continued to her seat immediately planting her face in her book. She had peeked over her book to look over the guy at a safe distance. He had been wearing all black, not a speck of white or colors were spotted on his entire body. She saw his face in the napkin holder he had been staring back at her from in the reflection. She shot her book up to cover her face and pretended to not know anyone was there.

Sometime later she had tipped her waitress, tucked her book in her purse, and left the café. Every day she walked home the same way. She lived about a half hour away if she was speed walking. But on nice evenings like that one had been she always slowed her pace, enjoying the crisp night air. She had walked for about ten minutes and was a quarter of the way home when she had the strangest feeling of being watched… or followed. Her nervousness had her speeding up and when she glanced over her shoulder she managed a glimpse of blonde hair and black clothes. She had run home the rest of the way. Since then the guy had watched her and followed her halfway home every time he was there. Too afraid to say anything she never confronted him about it and just hurried home as fast as possible.

And then two weeks ago he stopped coming. She had thought that was that, that she'd never see him again. So here she sat drinking her water and reading her book. She was halfway done with her book when a glimpse of blonde hair and dark clothes caught her eye. She looked up at the guy she had hoped would never come back and he seemed in a daze, confused by the new café look. She watched him take a seat and order his food. Watching him chat with Jenny she thought to herself,_ he doesn't seem that bad_….

Upon entering the little café he stopped in his tracks. Draco stood in awe, gazing at the café, which had been transformed into a massive, sun drenched greenhouse. The new walls were made of glass, and the room's perimeter was lined with mini vegetable gardens framed by low white picket fences. The gardens sprouted ripe red tomatoes, carrots, scallions, peas, cucumbers, and fresh herbs. Rows of new bamboo tables and chairs displayed photos of the happily wrinkled local London artisans who had crafted them. The Starbucks kiosk had been replaced by a charming, old-fashioned stagecoach. It stocked skin-clarifying Borba water (imported from Hong Kong) and drinkable low-fat yogurt guaranteed to speed up hair growth (head only) and increase shine in less than a week.

_What the hell is this crap? Is this really edible?_ he wondered reading the quaint country chalkboard signs listing the day's freshest produce (edamame and carrots) and the breakfast specials (buttermilk pancakes with chicken sausages, organic eggs Benedict, granola with locally grown fruit), lunch specials (mac 'n' cheese sprinkled with nitrate-free bacon, free-range-turkey burgers, pizza with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella), and desserts (protein-packed chocolate brownies, calorie-burning mint-chip ice-cream cake, tooth-whitening lollipops).

No more steel bars, plastic trays, or orange heat lamps. The café had become a fabulously fancy, eco-friendly farmer's market gone twenty- first century. Invisible clouds of floral perfumes and spicy colognes now eclipsed the earthy smell of fresh vegetables. He looked around for the rubbish bins but instead found five silver "reverse vending machines." He looked at the strange machines wondering how they worked, as if reading his mind a waitress walked by and told him about them.

"Reverse vending machines, or RVMs for short, replace the smelly rubbish bins and give you a sleek place to deposit your empties. Once the machine is full, it will crush your recyclables and I believe Keira Knightley's voice will announce how many UCBs the machine collected." Jenny told him with a smile.

Draco looked at her realizing she was speaking to him, he sneered. "Oh, thanks." He said sarcastically. As an afterthought he asked, "What are UCBs?"

"To be honest, I'm not really sure. But it's apparently a very good thing to have those." Draco snorted as he took a seat at a table and gave her his order. Apparently the staff hadn't been upgraded with the building; she was just as stupid as he remembered her.

"Quite an upgrade for Farley's Finest Café. It's an improvement at least. Hopefully the food's just as good or it will have been a waste. It looks nice though." He told her attempting to be nice, a little. She quickly went up to the counter to gather his meal, obviously, choosing to pretend she didn't hear his snide opinion.

"We're not called Farley's Finest anymore, didn't you see the sign? Now we're the New Green Café. We've changed every aspect of the place. We're as healthy and organic as you can get. We only just reopened two days ago. Enjoy your lunch."

She placed a turkey burger and side salad on his table a little harder than necessary. She gave him a forced smile and walked away. _Muggles, touchy little things, _he thought with a grin.

He took a bite of his salad savoring the crisp texture and flavor while scanning the room. There weren't very many people in the room and virtually no one from the 'old' café. They all seemed engaged in one task or another. One was vigorously writing and another was filling out a puzzle. Others simply sat drinking and eating and still some had newspapers or their "mobiles." But then there was the girl in the corner. Every day that he had come here she had been sitting in the same corner, drinking the same thing, at the same time, reading a different book, by the same author. Even with this change of style and customers around him she was still here.

This girl was part of the reason he still came to muggle London. Her straight, shoulder-length white-blonde hair looked radiant against her porcelain skin. Her light blue eyes glistened like sea glass. She had a navy blue t-shirt dress on today that was flattering, not slutty. He found this appealing. Even at Hogwarts the girls seemed to go for the skirts that showed the most panties while still falling under the school dress code regulations.

He looked at the napkin holder in the center of the table and watched her reflection. He felt something strange form in his stomach. It was like a hunger pain but despite the fact he had polished off his entire burger and salad it didn't seem to lessen. He looked away from the napkin dispenser and looked out the window at the gardens hidden from sight and the feeling he had seemed to lessen. When he looked back at the girl's reflection the feeling in his stomach kicked up again.

She sat in the corner reading her book when that feeling hit her again. She looked up from her book and scanned the room, sensing someone staring. The blonde guy quickly diverted his eyes before she could spot him. She knew it was him but let it go. She shook her head, readjusted herself in her seat, and went back to reading. She saw him watching her but just tried to finish her book. After a while she noticed that he seemed to drift off… His eyes took on a deep blue, they lost their shine slowly. The look on his face was scary and foreboding. She decided she'd had enough; it was time to go home. _Please_, she thought, _just keep daydreaming!_

Kallison gently placed a couple pounds on the table and finished off her water. She tucked her book in her purse and her purse under her arm. She approached Jenny at the counter.

"Hey Jenny? Could I get a brownie to go?"

"Absolutely! You know that guys been watching you… I think he likes you." She told her with a tilt of her head toward the room. "He's a bit of a jerk though."

Kallison refused to turn around she just nodded and reached for her brownie.

"I don't know why," Kalli said honestly.

"What do you mean? You're quiet, you're cute…"

Kallison scoffed at this and rolled her eyes. Jenny's eyebrows rose.

"What?"

"I'm not cute! I've never been approached by a boy once!"

"Well, that can't be true, look at you. You're supermodel thin and curvy in all the right places. Your skin is flawless, you have light blonde hair, and you have big blue eyes! Sure, you're a little on the short side, what? 5'3"? But what guy doesn't want a cute little blonde with blue eyes?"

"You'd think so but they don't. Yes, I'm blonde, have blue eyes, and was blessed with enough cleavage for two girls but they don't notice me at all. I don't show off everything I've got, I don't wear makeup, and I'd rather read a good book than go to a club."

Jenny's eyebrows rose higher and then she smiled.

"Well, sweetie, someone's noticing you now," she pointed out.

_Don't remind me_, Kallison thought to herself.

"Do you have a ride to get home? It's getting dark out there," Jenny said staring up at the sky.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kallison lied; More to convince herself than Jenny. "Night."

"That movie was bloody brilliant!" Ron said enthusiastically.

"I thought it was scary!" Ginny said with a shudder.

Ron hugged Hermione around the shoulders and laughed at his sister.

"You big baby, it wasn't that bad!"

"Yeah, sure. If you like watching girls in skimpy little outfits being savagely torn apart by monsters and passed from one guy to the next like a bowl of peanuts!" Ginny said angrily.

"Okay, so maybe that wasn't such a good movie to see, it didn't sound so bad in the review…" Harry said as they headed for a deserted alley around the back of the theatre.

"I think next time Gin and I should get to pick the movie," Hermione said.

"Aww, but then you'll pick a girly one with all that lovey dovey…" Ron changed what he was saying when he saw the look Hermione was giving him. "But you know sometimes those aren't bad, it makes for a great mood setter before having a nice dinner!"

They all laughed as they sat down on a bench to just hang out in the calm late summer breeze. They talked about everything, anything, and nothing just to avoid going home. The summer was nearly over and they didn't want to miss a second of it, just like old times.

Draco thought about the girls at school. How half of them hung all over him in complete obsession, like he was the only thing that mattered in the world. He basked in those moments. In his house he was less than good enough for and at anything. His father had constantly pressured him that he was _his_ son, and being _his_ son he had responsibilities and that he needed to grow up and be a man. The family depended on it, Draco hated that term. 'Family,' they were anything but. There was his mother who had been forever faithful to her abusive and demeaning husband. His own father constantly insulted her and blamed her for every screw up. Draco loved his mother but he was disgusted that the once prideful woman had hid every bruise and never said a word. This thought brought more emotions to their ugly head. Anger, hatred, disappointment… they all felt the same. He looked into the napkin holder and saw that the girl wasn't sitting at her table anymore. All that was left to show someone had been there was an empty water bottle and a couple pounds for tip.

Draco spun around in his seat looking around the café he spotted her at the register getting a brownie to go. A strange feeling jolted through his entire body. A mixture of emotions and thoughts shot through him like a jolt of lightning. He laid down his money to cover the cost of his bill and signaled the waitress it was there and stood up. Dozens of thoughts played through his mind like someone had hit the play button. Thoughts of his parents fighting, screaming, and the raging sex that followed; the girls at school following him, doing whatever he wanted, and seducing him; his father insisting he take the mark; his mother insisting he carry out the family name and heritage; his friends and classmates treating him like a king and then trashing him out of sight; his deranged aunt seducing him into becoming a follower. He never noticed that he was following the girl out of the café. He followed behind her at a leisurely pace paying no mind to where he was actually going.

He watched her thighs move in the dress; her leg muscles clenching and unclenching with every step. The way her body moved was intoxicating and the more he watched the stronger the feeling in his stomach grew spreading to lower areas in his body. Her swaying hips teased him, provoking him in the cruelest of ways. Lost in his own thoughts and confused with his own feelings he followed, drawn to her like the Moon to the Earth's gravitational pull.

Kallison tried to walk at a steady pace, despite the fact that every muscle in her body screamed to run. Once or twice she stopped to check a window front, turning sideways so as to peer at the road behind her. The businesses had closed up an hour ago and the only people that wandered the streets were the employees locking up and heading for home. She caught a glimpse of a blonde hair walking a good distance behind her. She kept walking through the near empty streets, a couple people passed by and then she spotted the alley she took to get home. She turned the corner and then whipped around, ready to confront her stalker. She had her purse ready just in case. _Like that'll do much damage_, she thought. _Well, maybe my book will fly out and paper cut him in the eye. _

She stood there waiting and when he rounded the corner she saw him jump. Inside she was congratulating herself on a scare well-done. Outside she was staring daggers at this creeper. She watched him take a step back and look around him in confusion.

"Why are you following me?" She demanded, her blue eyes were icy and she stood firm. The only answer she received was a blank stare. "I _said_, why are you following me?" She took a step closer never breaking eye contact and trying to be as mean as possible despite the fact that her insides were twisting with fear.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I was lost in thought and I just ended up here." he stumbled to say.

"Right! Well, what about the other day? You're always watching me and then you follow me all this way! Why?" She demanded again.

She watched him shake his head and turn slightly pink and slowly his color grew to red, then purple. His eyes seemed to turn black, and his face turned hard and angry. She took a step back her body physically shaking along with her insides now.

"I don't know." Draco told her shaking his head.

Suddenly he felt very embarrassed. He had been following her? More than once? _Wait a minute, so what if I come this way often?__Who is she to yell at me and accuse me of such bull shit? __The nerve! Does she even know who she's talking too_? He thought to himself. Suddenly all his emotions bubbled to the surface in a fit of rage.

"I said I wasn't following you! How do you know I don't live around here? Maybe you're too conceited to realize it's a simple coincidence!" He yelled at her turning redder and redder all the time.

She took a step back from him. His anger was building and his all black ensemble didn't help the situation. It gave him a meaner darker streak. He had sharp cold features and his deathly pale skin had turned violet in a millisecond. She took another step back as he stepped forward yelling and shaking his clenched fist at her.

There was no one around, the alleys were deserted and no one to intervene. She stared at him in shock and then she grew pale before storming into a rage of her own. And before he knew what was happening he had a hold of her wrists and was shaking her. She started screaming at him furiously kicking at him with her legs and then all went black…

_What a fucking ass! _She thought. Before she knew what was happening he had a hold of her wrists and was shaking her. She started screaming at him, furiously kicking at him with her heels. But he was stronger than she was and he took her down to the ground. Still holding down her wrists, she kicked with her knees. Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears, her blood rushing in her veins. Little alarms were going off adding to the chaos in her mind. And then she looked into his face. Her blood ran cold, temporarily freezing her brain as well. The look in his eyes was deadly, the look on his face painful. He appeared to be struggling with his own thoughts.

When his hands didn't loosen their grip, birds of panic began to flap their wings hysterically in her chest and stomach.

"Let me go," she said. His fingers tightened like handcuffs around her narrow bone. "You're hurting me."

"Then relax," he told her, his voice was deep. Rough. Cold.

"Wait, stop."

He stopped her second scream by putting his lips over her mouth, where he kept them. When he released her wrist, she tried to pound his head and push him off, but he was so heavy and so determined, her blows fell like fists of butter against him. He didn't flinch or cry out.

"Let me go. Stop it! Stop it!" She screamed.

Kallison finally managed to punch him hard in the nose and there was a dull crack. Blood began to pour from it as he slammed her head into the cement. She gasped, seemingly choking on air. She was in a terrible panic, fighting to breathe, and she thought she passed in and out of consciousness within seconds because moments later, she felt him hitting her over and over again. He pinned her legs, sweeping away her ineffective attempts at any resistance. She thought she was screaming, but she couldn't be sure because there was a thunderous roar in her ears. With every blow she kept thinking, _this isn't happening to me; it can't be happening_. But of course, it was.

He screamed in anger and she felt him stop almost immediately and collapse over her, his breathing hard and fast. The whole ground seemed to vibrate, or was that just her body shuddering from the violation? She didn't move. She felt as though she had left herself and no longer had any control of her arms and legs, the pain was too strong to comprehend. Slowly, he rose and sat up. She saw him brush back his hair and then straighten his clothes. He sat quietly and she didn't move for fear she would shatter like some cracked piece of thin china. She watched him stand up. He thumbed what appeared to be a long stick in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at her.

"You'd better get going," he said reaching for her, but she cried out.

"Do you guys hear that?" Harry asked turning his head towards the other end of the alley for the eighth time.

"Hear what?" Hermione asked following his gaze.

"I keep thinking I hear screaming…"

"We _are_ behind a movie theatre, Harry. We're probably near a theatre exit," Ron pointed out.

"I suppose…" Harry said frowning.

He was sure he had heard a scream somewhere outside but then he decided Ron was probably right. He yawned suddenly and Hermione laughed.

"Guess it's pretty late. No one's around, what say we all head back to Grimmauld?"

"Sounds good to me, I'm tired!" Ginny said also yawning now.

"Oy, I can't wait to get into bed. My feet are killing me! We've been in London since nine this morning," Ron said getting to his feet.

"Alright then, we'll see you at home," Hermione said taking Ron's hand.

"See you in a minute," Ginny acknowledged.

Harry wasn't paying any attention; he'd sworn he'd heard a distant scream somewhere again. Harry was startled when a loud pop echoed down the alley behind him. He turned to find only Ginny standing there and looked around for Ron and Hermione.

"Where's…"

"They apparated to Grimmauld. Are we going Harry? Or do you plan to stand here in this dark alley all night?" Ginny asked him amusedly.

"Oh, um, sorry. I thought I heard…" Harry said looking back down the alley.

"Do you want to go look?" Ginny asked him.

"What?"

"Do you want to go look, for whatever you're hearing?" Ginny asked him again.

Ginny could see that something was bothering him, he didn't normally act this way, and if he really heard a scream then maybe they should check it out before leaving.

"Oh, well, if you don't mind…"

"Of course not, let's go," she told him.

Draco felt like he was waking up from a dream. He looked down at the trembling girl before him and realized it was far from. His heart thudded in his chest at the realization that he'd just beaten this young woman, savagely. He reached into his pocket and found his wand. _I should kill her, _he thought.

He looked down at her face that was slowly swelling and changing colors, what he could see of her body was red and bruises were forming already. She stared back at him; she wore her feelings on her face like a glove. The confidence she showed earlier had clearly been broken and he felt a surge of pride. _No_, he thought changing his mind. _Let her remember me._

He reached an arm out to her to help her up; he was a gentleman after all. He had not forgotten his manners. She screamed at him as tears finally escaped her eyes. He watched her attempt to scramble to her feet only to hit the cement again, hard. He grinned; she was apparently incapable of maneuvering her legs. He loved watching her struggle to make her body work, the pain wrenching through every inch of her. She lost one of her heels in the process of crawling away.

"Get away from me!" She shouted and turned away.

Her eyes felt like they were burning. She grimaced in pain, turned her body and spilled onto the road again in an effort to get away quickly. She felt the cement slice through her knees and she cried out.

"Having trouble walking?" He asked. He started towards her again.

"Get away from me!" She screamed and stumbled to her feet, kicking off the other heel, and turned to run.

She heard his laugh behind her, which made her run faster. She stumbled a couple times and cut herself more trying to get away. She ignored the stabbing pains of rocks and glass cutting into her now bare feet. _Home_, she kept thinking, _have to get home._

When she slowed down to a walk she took a deep breath. Until that moment Kallison hadn't realized she was sobbing madly. Her face was streaked and soaked with tears, which kept coming. She stood there, gasping. In a panic she looked around and saw nothing but trees and darkness. She had to be near Castalia, but she had no idea which part of the small forest she'd entered. She could hear the startled voices of squirrels and birds but she couldn't understand what they were saying, she was too upset to focus.

Suddenly she felt very nauseous and vomited all over the ground. She crawled her way towards a thick growth of trees and tucked herself up against them. She looked around her again not sure where she was, what time it was, how far she'd gone, which direction she'd come from. She stood up again and a sharp pain ran through her body and the dam of tears broke loose again, she let out a strangled wail. A bright light lit up the sky as she screamed. She collapsed to her knees at the base of the tree too exhausted to move.

A squirrel crept out of the tree cautiously to come and sniff at her. She looked at it through her burning hot tears.

"Help," she said to it. "Get help."

The squirrel dashed up the tree and raced across the long branches leaping from one branch to another, whipping his tail for balance, then racing to the next leap. Kalli tenderly touched her ribs, shooting pains shot through her head and she passed out slumping to the forest floor.

Harry and Ginny wandered down a long stretch of stores. Suddenly a scream echoed through the buildings and made them jump. Harry and Ginny immediately grabbed their wands. Harry pointed towards an alley but stopped when a familiar pop rang through the air. He and Ginny ran for the alley as fast as they could. When they turned the corner they were surprised to find nothing but a purse, contents spilled over the ground, and a pair of women's high heeled shoes.

Harry searched with his eyes down the alley as Ginny gathered up the purse and shoes. She touched a wet spot on the cement and brought her fingers up to her nose. They stood there listening for a sound but heard nothing. Somewhere overhead they heard a bat squeak and fly by hunting for a juicy moth in the light of a nearby street lamp. Harry didn't like this, something was tugging at his mind and it made him feel uneasy.

"There's no one around… but we heard them…" Ginny said in confusion staring at the blood on her hand.

"What is that?" Harry asked looking at her hand.

"Blood, there's splatters of it here," Ginny said pointing out a small area of cement.

"I think that popping noise we heard was someone apparating," Harry told her taking the purse from her hands and opening it.

"There's not much in there. There wasn't an I.D. or anything just a receipt from a café, a book…. We need to get help," Ginny told him shivering in spite of the still warm evening air.

Harry wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her on the forehead, not knowing what else to do.

"I'll take us home, hold onto me," he told her.

Ginny wrapped her arms around him for comfort, still holding the shoes, and with a noisy pop they were gone from sight.


	2. Ch 2: The Search

**Chapter Two: The Search**

"Draco! Child, what ya doin' in here t'night?"

Draco sat himself on the barstool and smiled at the barmaid. She welcomed him like a mother, something that he found he actually enjoyed.

"Don't have much else to do, came for the entertainment," he told her.

"We have a new group going on tonight, pretty, but not sure they can sing worth a damn. Well what can I start ya off with t'night?"

"Shed-Your-Skin."

The barmaid looked at him startled, the only time Draco Malfoy drank the hardest drinks in the bar was when he was troubled. She leaned over the bar and took his hand like she'd done so many years ago.

"Draco. Don't go drownin' your woes, they'll come back to bite ya," She told him.

He looked at the hand resting on his and gave it a quick squeeze before pulling away.

"Thanks for the advice, one Shed-Your-Skin," He told her.

The barmaid sighed and watched the boy turn to view the rapidly growing crowd. Something was up; she'd known the Malfoys too long to not know it. Whatever it was it was bad.

"Comin' right up, honey, child," she said grabbing the most expensive vodka on the shelf.

A man hid in the darkness of a tree watching the sleeping form hidden under a large tree. A breeze carried a pungent odor from someone being sick, adding to the strong odor of drying blood. The man cringed and leaped into the tree for a better post.

"Loki, what do we do?" Another man asked unseen in the shadows.

"I stay here and keep watch, you go back and find our lord," Loki said from the tree.

A dozen or so loud pops echoed through the small forest and the men hissed. Somewhere in the distance lights began to appear and fan out in opposite directions.

"Go, quickly!" Loki ordered.

There was no answer just the sound of the leaves being ripped from branches by an unseen shadow speeding into the night.

"What took you guys so long?" Hermione asked from the living room.

Harry kept his arm around Ginny as he led her to the living room. Hermione dropped her new book to the floor and rose to come to Ginny.

"What happened?"

Ron turned from a game of wizard's chess with Remus. He looked back and forth from Harry to Ginny before getting up himself. Harry sat Ginny in the chair closest to the fire and took the shoes from her hands.

"We're not sure," Harry said honestly.

"Whose are these?" Hermione asked taking the shoes and purse, there was a light spattering of blood on them.

"We don't know," Ginny said staring at the fire.

"Well, then where did you get them?" Ron asked confused.

"We found them in a deserted alley."

"What were you doing in a deserted alley? I thought you were coming home?"

Harry related what he had heard and found. Remus kneeled before Ginny's chair.

"We'll look into it, Ginny," Remus told her sensing her dread.

"What if that woman had been screaming for help all along and we ignored it?" Ginny asked.

"You didn't ignore it, Ginny. From what Harry's told us only he could hear it. Even then he wasn't sure he was right."

"She's gone, we were too late. There was blood…"

"I'm going to go get mum," Ron said looking at his sister.

"Get Tonks as well will you?" Remus asked.

"Sure."

"Well, I'm sure you're tired. Perhaps you should all head up to bed," Remus said looking at Harry and Hermione.

"But…"

Hermione nudged Harry in the ribs and tilted her head towards the door.

"Right, well… we'll see you in the morning, Gin," Harry said.

Harry wasn't surprised when Ginny didn't answer, she seemed to be in shock, he didn't understand why. Yes, he was worried too, but he didn't understand why it was affecting her so much. Hermione quickly crossed the room and retrieved her book before following Harry out.

"What's going on with her?" Harry asked.

"I'm sorry, Harry. It's not my place to say," Hermione said avoiding his gaze.

On their way up the stairs they met Mrs. Weasley in a panic. She stopped as she passed.

"Is she speaking?" Mrs. Weasley asked them.

"No, she's not saying a word now," Harry told her. "What's going on?"

Mrs. Weasley didn't answer him as she hurried down the stairs. Ron was filling Tonks in by the time they made it to the first floor. Tonks turned to look at Harry.

"Wotcher, Harry" She greeted him.

"Hey, Tonks."

"You didn't see anyone at all?"

"No, by the time we got around the corner all we found was a purse and shoes."

"Great," Tonks sighed. "That means I have to contact the ministry about a possible muggle abduction. We've had three so far this week."

"Wizards are kidnapping muggles again?" Hermione asked shocked.

"Death Eaters, the ones that we haven't been able to get our hands on. Its times like this we miss Mad Eye the most," Tonks told them. "I've gotta get downstairs but you guys have fun…"

The sound of a baby crying echoed into the hall. Tonks sighed and rubbed her face. Hermione patted her on the back.

"I've got him, Tonks. You go ahead," Hermione told her.

"Thanks, Mione. I appreciate it," Tonks said relieved and headed for the stairs.

"Come on, I've got to get Teddy," Hermione said heading for Remus's and Tonks's room.

Harry and Ron exchanged a look before shrugging and following her into the room. They approached Hermione and the baby slowly. Hermione looked at them while rocking the little boy back to sleep and laughed.

"Oh, you two are ridiculous! He's just sleepy," Hermione laughed.

"Sleepy? Hey, he whines like you do when you're tired," Harry laughed at Ron.

"Shove off, Harry!" Ron grinned.

Hermione summoned little Teddy a bottle and rocked him in a chair near the crib while Ron and Harry watched amazed. After the baby had fallen asleep again she laid him gently back in the crib and led them out.

"How'd you do that?" Ron asked.

"Do what?" Hermione asked confused.

"Every time I try to shut 'im up he just cries louder!" Ron told her.

Hermione couldn't help but smile. Harry shook his head and laughed. They both knew exactly why Teddy always cried with Ron, he had a tendency to forget to keep his voice down and wobbled him like a rag doll.

"Perhaps you should try not talking…" Harry suggested.

"Or moving…" Hermione added.

"What…?" Ron asked confused as they burst out laughing.

"I think I'm going to go to bed. Night, Harry. Night, Ron," Hermione said kissing Ron on the cheek and heading into a door on the right.

"Is Ginny in there? I heard footsteps earlier," Harry asked.

Hermione walked in and peeked back out and nodded her head. 'Sleeping' she mouthed. Both boys nodded and headed into their own room.

"Is Sirius around?" Harry asked changing into pajamas.

"Nah, he was heading for the Leaky Cauldron. Said something about a Maggie," Ron said winking at Harry.

Harry laughed, he should have known Sirius would be out entertaining women on a Friday night. In the past week he had gone out with four different women. Ron and Harry couldn't even remember their names. They sat for an hour talking about whatever came to mind before finally relaxing and falling asleep.

_When the dark of the night comes around  
>That's the time that the animal comes alive<br>Looking for something wild  
><em>

The music was loud inside Slytherin Spirits and Draco was feeling the buzz from his drink already. He felt the bass pounding through his body as the music grew louder. He eyed a couple girls in the corner of the room batting their eyelashes and giggling at him. They were dressed provocatively in miniskirts and tight white t-shirts. They both had long curly dark brown hair. They wiggled their fingers at him and he grinned. Picking up his drink he wandered over and winked at them. Up close he could see they were twins.

"Such lovely ladies to be sitting here all alone."

"Well, if you were here we wouldn't be alone now would we?" One twin asked her voice silky and sweet.

The girls grinned like the devil and one of them slid over. She ran her hand up her bare leg and stopped when her fingers reached the bottom of her mini skirt. His eyes following the motion the whole way.

"So? Care to keep us company?" The girl asked licking her bottom lip.

Draco gave them a charming smile and bowed.

"Draco Malfoy, and I'd be honored." He sat down between them.

"Hmm…" The other twin said uncrossing and recrossing her legs as he sat down with them.

"I'm Roxi," The first twin said.

"I'm Jaz," The other said putting her hand on Draco's thigh.

"Well, Roxi… Jaz… what brings you two to Slytherin Spirits all alone, hmm?" Draco asked his voice full of charm as he sipped his vodka.

"We were a bit bored…" Roxi said.

"and we thought we'd have much more fun here…"

"But this place gets old…"

"and the people are a bit dim…"

"We wanted something exciting…"

"something bright…"

"someone daring…"

"someone dark."

_There's a place downtown  
>Where the freaks all come around<br>It's a hole in the wall  
>It's a dirty free for all<br>_

He listened to them go back and forth but barely heard a word. Jaz's hand was making lazy circles on his inner thigh, tantalizingly close…

"So, what are you, Draco?" Roxi asked her lips grazing his ear.

He felt the pounding music beat harder as the DJ turned the bass up, the crowd screamed. He surveyed the crowd, dancing body to body, he could see the sweat and glitter shine under the multicolored lights. People swayed in ecstasy as the music pounded and the alcohol hit their systems. Draco downed his vodka like a glass of water.

"Are you dark?" Jaz taunted, her finger's movement getting ever closer.

"Are you daring?" He could feel Roxi's hot breath on his neck.

"Are you exciting?" He felt Jaz's finger brush against his groin.

Draco grinned and pulled both girls out of their seats by their hands. They squealed in shock as he threw them over his shoulders and headed for the fireplace across the room. _Oh, yeah_, he thought, _I'm all three_….

An owl perched on the railing of the king sized bed clacking its beak in a frustrated attempt to arouse the two people curled up together under the blankets. The owl had flown in through the window twenty minutes earlier and had yet to awaken them. Another owl flew in through the window and landed next to its companion. It dropped a red envelope onto the pillow beside the sleeping woman. Both owls took off out the window leaving the two with their letters and disappearing into the night air.

Tonks was sleeping peacefully nestled in the crook of Remus's arm when a booming voice echoed through the room startling her half to death as she lurched to her feet.

"NYMPHADORA TONKS! WAKE UP NOW!"

Remus hit the floor in a tangle of blankets and panic. He grabbed his wand from the bedside table jumping to his feet and aiming in the direction of the voice. The red envelope had folded itself up into an origami mouth and it seemed to be smiling.

"Dammit, Kingsley!" Remus cursed at the letter as the baby began to scream.

_Of all the stupidest, low-down, rotten…_ Tonks thought to herself as she stood there in her nightwear and glared at the envelope taking deep breathes to steady her racing heart. She and Remus jumped again as their bedroom door slammed open and Sirius ran into the room with Harry tailing him. They held their wands out in front of them ready to dual. In baggy pajama bottoms and their hair a gnarly mess they appeared more deranged than intimidating.

Tonks and Remus stared at them before glancing at each other. Sirius noticed the howler and tucked his wand into his waist band, he grinned at his cousin and best friend.

"Well, good morning cousin. Remus. Mind telling me what all the fuss is about?" Sirius chuckled.

Harry glanced back and forth from Remus to Tonks before noticing their state of undress and blushing a deep scarlet comparable to Ron's. He found a rather interesting water stain on the ceiling to stare at for the time being. Tonks looked down at her bra and panties and quickly snatched up her pillow attempting to cover herself.

_Great! Just what I bloody needed_, she thought moodily. Suddenly half the Weasley family and Hermione charged into the room clutching their wands and night robes.

"Oh, bloody hell!" Tonks yelled stomping over to the howler. "WHAT?"

The howler kicked in on cue with the rest of its message, grinning ruthlessly.

Remus stood there as red as his boxers and stared at Sirius begging him not to say anything. Sirius just grinned and winked at him. Everyone watched Tonks smack at the howler, momentarily forgetting her pillow could only cover her front, and they all got a full back view as well. Sirius raised his eyebrows and chuckled as Mrs. Weasley went to calm the baby.

"There," the howler replied in Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice. "Now that I have your attention I expect you to take this seriously..."

"I'll show you some respect you lousy piece of…" Tonks mumbled whilst listening to the letter.

Sirius' grin grew wider. _Oh, this is good. Double the blackmail,_ he thought.

"We looked into tonight's abduction but aside from the items you brought in and the blood on the sidewalk we have no other clues. We may have a possible lead though. Not long after your letter reached me this evening we received a distress call from Mrs. Rispah Turner. She has reported seeing a person run into woods followed by a spark charm signaling for help fifteen minutes later. I have sent four teams of trackers into the location to search already... In the past two hours we have been incapable of finding many clues. I am calling in more teams, which include you, and hope to find something by dawn. You should have another letter including the area you will cover and precautions you should take. Bring only those you trust in the search. I apologize for the late hour and wish you luck. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," The red mouth curled up on itself into a ball and burst into flames. They all took a moment to turn the letter over in their heads.

Sirius was more than eager to go. The last exciting adventure he'd had was a few years ago when Voldemort had lured Harry and his friends to the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. He and others from the Order of the Phoenix had arrived in time to help the teenagers but he had just narrowly missed the killing curse cast by his own deranged cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, as they dueled.

Sirius had known better than to tempt his cousin. Sirius had always been good in duels and he had allowed himself to get cocky. It was a mistake he would regret his entire life. Not only was the situation they'd been in dangerous but it was deadly. Sirius had become distracted numerous times trying to keep his eye on Harry throughout the battle.

Bellatrix had been as equally distracted as he was, for her own reasons. Lucius was dueling with Harry for the prophecy and she had opened her mouth to curse Harry when Sirius screamed at her. He cast an illusion charm and jumped behind a large column. He watched as Bellatrix cursed his illusionary copy. He then watched himself stumble and fall backwards into the veil. Sirius had barely been able to comprehend the next set of events as they happened so quickly.

Bellatrix had cackled with joy racing through an exit and trying to escape. Sirius made to run after her when he heard Harry scream his name. When he had turned to find Harry he watched as Remus barely caught him in time to stop him from chasing his illusionary copy into the veil. In that split second he felt a curse strike him in the head. Shooting pains spread throughout his body as he spun on his heels and dropped to the floor.

Sirius opened his mouth to call out to Harry but found he could make no sound. He watched in horror through blurry eyes as Harry chased after Bellatrix. The death eaters began to shoot curses without care in order to cover their own escape and Tonks stumbled across his body on the floor. She had just revived him when everything went chill. Sirius felt bile rise in his throat and panic flooded his mind. He had felt this way before and the thought had him scrambling to find Harry.

When James and Lily had been murdered that night so many years ago, he had felt this way. The idea that he was feeling it again made the feeling much worse, much more painful. By the time Sirius had made it to Harry the feeling had passed. He looked up startled to find Albus Dumbledore holding an unconscious Harry in his arms. Ministry officials hovered above them. It had been hours before Harry had woken up in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts and Sirius, with the help of Remus, had been able to quell Harry's fears and explain what had happened.

Sirius looked at Harry and then back to Tonks who had turned around facing them, still clutching her pillow to her front. Someone could be in serious danger. With no sun to guide their movements they'd need to rely on their magic to light the way. He had spent weeks here in Grimmauld with no excitement or action. Since Lord Voldemort's fall life had become slow and peaceful and he craved the adrenaline rush of danger.

"I'll get dressed," Remus said walking across the room and pulling open drawers.

He began to pull out clothes and get dressed. Arthur Weasley tapped his daughter's shoulder indicating they were to leave the room. Ginny glanced at Harry and followed her father out. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Sirius all exchanged looks.

"I'm going," Sirius stated. "I have a keen sense of smell. I may be able to help."

Sirius looked at Tonks daring her to try and dissuade him. She didn't, she just reached down and picked up her clothes off the floor. _I'm tired_, she thought. _I'll need the help; I just hope he doesn't get himself into trouble or us for that matter_. She pulled her jeans on and looked up into Mrs. Weasley's face.

"Molly? Thanks for taking care of Teddy. Could you get some coffee started? I have a feeling this is going to be a long night. I could use something to get my body moving."

Molly looked at her sympathetically as she placed the sleeping baby back into the crib.

"Of course dear. Okay you three, _you_ can go back to bed."

Molly turned and looked at them when she noticed no one made to follow her. She frowned at her son and then left the room without saying a word. Harry stared at Tonks deep in thought; Ron and Hermione watched him carefully refusing to move until he did so. Hermione glanced at Tonks and waited for the boys to leave first.

"I'm going," Harry told his friends. "It might be the woman that went missing. You guys go on ahead and get some sleep; I'll see you in the morning."

Hermione glared at him as Ron shook his head with a thoughtful smile.

"You are _not_ going without us; sometimes you can be real thick. After eight years you should have been able to figure out that if you go, we go!" Hermione told him.

Hermione had long since become fed up with his 'I want to be alone' attitude and she had become quite short with him when he tried to start up again. Tonks looked at them. She didn't have the energy to dissuade them either. She knew that after that final battle at Hogwarts she had no right to tell them no. They were adults and they could make their own decisions. If it weren't for Ron and Hermione she and Remus would have been left amongst the dead that night.

Tonks didn't know exactly what happened that night except that Bellatrix and her husband Rudolphus had cursed them with something dark. It left them in a dreamless state, lowering their heart rate drastically, and in all appearance, dead. It had taken two months to find the proper counter curse to revive them again. She shuddered thinking of what would have happened to Teddy had they had been buried alive.

"If you're going you had better go get dressed fast. I'm not waiting around for you guys. Dress warmly, we'll be down in the kitchen."

She watched them all leave and sighed sitting down on the bed. Remus crossed the room sitting down next to her. He rubbed her shoulders and she leaned back into his arms. He kissed her forehead.

"What are you thinking, love?" he asked her. She sighed again and looked up into his face.

"What if they had buried us alive..."

"But they didn't…"

"Yes, but where would Teddy be? Our son, our beautiful boy would never have known us…"

"Stop that. You're feeling sorry for yourself," Remus scolded her.

"Do you always have to be the big bad wolf of reason?" She asked.

"Only when it's needed. Now, if you're going to go topless that's fine with me…" Remus said running his hand up her bare back.

"Oh, god. They all saw me…!" She moaned embarrassed.

He chuckled behind her. "Harry and Ron were the only ones that seemed shocked…" he teased her. She swatted his arm and blushed.

"Jeez, Remus. I'd have thought you the dominant and jealous type. What with all those people staring at my…" She was cut off with a gentle shove off the bed.

She landed on her butt on the floor and laughed. "Alright, point taken. Let's go down and feed my addiction. Otherwise I fear I may kill someone before day break."

Remus chuckled lacing up his shoes. "Alright, I'll meet you downstairs," He told her.

He shut the bedroom door behind him on his way out. Tonks stared after him as a light smile played on her face. _I love that man_, she thought as she threw a shirt on and reached down and dragged her shoes on.

Loki jumped from the tree and landed beside Kallison without making a sound. He checked for a pulse and found her heart beating steadily. He worried about her body temperature; it had gotten chill with the late hours and he had nothing to cover her with.

He wondered what was taking his father so long. He knew that witches were hunting every inch of the forest, he also knew that they couldn't be seen or heard if they wanted this to go smoothly. They were a half hour away from their city hidden in the trees.

"Uhhhhn…" Kallison moaned in pain.

"Shhh, Kalli," Loki whispered stroking her hair. "Help is coming."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione ran for their separate rooms. Hermione ran into her room across the hall from them and slammed the door behind her. They stared after her a minute before slamming their own to change. They dragged their clothes out of their dressers and began wrestling their pajamas off.

"Did you get a good look at Tonks? I didn't know she looked like that!" Ron said throwing a shirt over his head. Harry turned scarlet again thinking about it and turned away from Ron as he put his own on.

"Well, you know. She is an auror. All the fitness training and work they do I'd suppose they'd have to be in that shape. We will when we start training too," Harry told him cooling his features and facing him.

Ron zipped his pants and went for his shoes. "Yeah, but who'd have known she had a six pack! I mean, I never really noticed before but… she's really…"

Harry pictured her tight abs and her perky breasts and he blushed again. _Really hot. Remus is lucky… real lucky_, he thought enviously. Remus and Tonks had bought a house recently; they were staying with Sirius until all the final arrangements were made for the property. They appeared to be doing well… Ron was going out with Hermione still and they were talking about renting a flat above Diagon Alley until then they were keeping him company. Ron and Hermione had been looking for someplace cheap to rent for a couple months now, but so far they'd had no luck. Their past fighting had died down to nearly once a month and they were always together. He wondered if he was ever going to find someone like that.

He and Ginny had started going out in Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts but after the battle nearly a year ago he and Ginny had drifted apart. The relationships excitement and fire died quickly and they both realized that neither actually liked each other in that way. That was why a couple weeks ago they had decided to go separate ways, though neither had had the guts to tell anyone they had done so.

Harry thought he'd be upset about losing Ginny but he found himself relieved_. I really love Ginny, but it's more as a sister than anything, _he thought. She was more than attractive and dozens of times she had been a sexual frustration to Harry but when he thought about it, it felt wrong. Most other girls were attracted to him for his money and fame. He didn't want a relationship that meant nothing like Sirius's constant flings. He wanted what Remus and Tonks had, what Ron and Hermione had…

Harry sighed and shook his head to clear out these depressing thoughts. He smiled at Ron.

"I wouldn't let Hermione hear you say that!" he joked. Just then Hermione walked into the room.

"Hear him say what?" She asked Harry, crossing her arms over her chest.

She had thrown on one of her new black hooded sweatshirts decorated with little skulls all over it. Her new black skinny jeans were skin tight as if they had been painted on. She looked oddly different, darker. Her long hair was silky and smooth, she'd recently found a book of spells that she'd been experimenting with non-stop. One of the spells straightened her hair brilliantly. Harry had to admit that Hermione looked good, real good. She was different from the school girl they had grown up with, but if there was one thing that stayed the same it was her obsession with books and knowledge. They still had to pry her out of libraries most the time, and chances were if you couldn't find her she'd be nose first in a book eight inches thick.

Ron stared at her and Harry laughed while tying his last trainer. She stared back at him and gave a nervous smile.

"You look…" Ron stumbled out.

"Hey, Ron, you're drooling," Harry teased him.

Hermione blushed and smiled.

"What am I not supposed to hear you say again?"

Ron quickly thought of something "That tight pants should be banned… but seeing you in them I've changed my mind."

"Honestly Ron, is this about Gin? She's seventeen now, you can't coddle her like your mother. You saw her in the ministry! And in the battle…" Hermione stopped short and looked at Harry. He looked up and smiled to let her know he was fine. She didn't look convinced.

"Honestly, Hermione. I'm fine. We won. Nothing to worry about," he assured her. She let that go too. _I am fine, just about as fine as you and Ron, _he thought sadly.

Harry had lost numerous friends in the battle, everyone had, but Harry had been forced to live through death itself. He tried not to think about that meeting with his old headmaster in death. His sorrow of losing so many people struck him deep and he was still trying to move past it. He missed Professor Dumbledore, Hagrid, Fred… Harry looked at Ron. Ron was now arguing 'slut-wear' with Hermione and he sighed. Fred Weasley had died in that battle and Ron refused to discuss it. Ron had gotten better lately, but it was still a touchy subject.

"Let's head downstairs, we have a missing girl to find," Hermione said walking out, slamming the door shut on Ron's argument.

Ron followed along behind her grumbling and Harry heard them walk down the stairs together. He looked at the clock and sighed. It was 12:36am, who knew how long the person had been out there hurt, or if they even were out there. If they were seriously injured he hoped they weren't too late. He got up and walked down the stairs to join everyone else.

Hermione came down the stairs with Ron at her heels just as Tonks was sending off an owl to tell Kingsley they were on their way.

"Harry is on his way down," She told Tonks.

She just nodded and downed another cup of coffee. She had guzzled down five large mugs so far and was finally feeling the life coming back to her. _Thank god for coffee_, she silently prayed. Sirius and Remus leaned against the wall drinking cups of their own. Harry wandered in and looked at them all. Tonks stood up; _here we go, time to get to work._

"Alright, we're headed to a small forest in London; it's been spelled to keep muggles out of it for their own safety. It's a forest governed by the vampires, and most people don't even know it's there. So try to lay low. Should anything happen use your wands. Don't defend, attack. Vampires are blood thirsty creatures and don't give a damn who, what, or where they get their next meal. They should stay out of our way, but just in case stay alert. Keep an eye on the ground; look for any tracks that may lead us to whoever is in trouble. If you find something, or someone, holler. Don't approach until an auror is able to scout the situation. If you're in trouble scream you're head off and we'll get to you in a seconds time. Okay, let's go. We apparate," she informed them and left the room.

Remus and Sirius set down their glasses following her out, the trio not far behind. Once they were all outdoors and on the steps Tonks turned to them again.

"Ron, I want you to go with Sirius and Remus. Harry, Hermione, you're with me. Stay close and hold on." she instructed them. Ron grabbed a hold of Sirius's jacket before disappearing with a _pop_. Harry and Hermione held hands with Tonks and then they too disappeared with a loud _pop_.

Harry, Hermione, and Tonks arrived in the center of a thickly treed forest. It was pitch black in here and lights could be seen hovering over the trees, spells cast by other aurors and search parties to light their path.

"Lumos Solem!" Tonks incanted, casting the spell herself. A bright burst of light shot into the sky illuminating the area.

"There. That should do it for this area. We'll split up here, but stay close. If you can't see the area lit up anymore you're not in hearing range and therefore have gone too far. Keep this place in sight and remember; if you find, see, or hear _anything_, anything at all. You holler! Do not approach anyone. Keep your wands at the ready….and guys? Be careful," She told them taking off to the North.

"You too!" She heard them call out to her. She waved back at them and disappeared into the darkness. _Lord, let this be over soon_, she prayed.

"Lumos" she whispered and began her search.

They watched Tonks disappear into the darkness and then saw her wand light up before continuing further into the dark. Hermione turned towards Harry, she was a little nervous. She wasn't sure she wanted to go out there alone.

"Are you okay?" He asked her sensing her discomfort.

"Yes, fine," She lied. "I'll meet you back here when I'm done with my area."

She gave him a brave smile and headed southeast. She heard Harry turn around and head west but blocked him from her thoughts. There was probably someone out here in trouble right now and it was up to them to find them. _Stay strong, _she silently encouraged whoever was lost out here right now.

Loki heard the echoing crack of more witches arriving and watched closely. He could hear voices in the close distance. Somehow he'd managed to be lucky enough not to have this area searched. He didn't want to have to attack if it wasn't necessary. Then again, he was in a bad mood, maybe biting someone would make him feel better.

A light caught his attention and he narrowed his eyes in the darkness of the forest. There, on the other side of the bushes, a witch. He watched the girl come around the bushes using her wand to look over the ground for tracks. Her long brown hair fluttered behind her as a breeze blew through the trees. The gentle scent of her perfume danced around him.

This was bad, she was too close. He needed to scare her off. She couldn't find Kallison. He panicked as she scanned the area with her wand, coming closer. _Shit_, he thought as he saw Kallison's feet illuminate in the beam of the girl's wand. He had to act fast. With a running leap off the branches of the tree he hissed.

Hermione felt a cool breeze lift her hair off her back. She rounded a thick group of bushes when she got a whiff of something nasty on the air. It smelled sweet and acidic; her senses recoiled as it registered the smell. She waved her wand around the area and sure enough a patch of vomit covered leaves and twigs were a few feet away.

She walked a bit closer and looked around with her wand again. She spun in a circle and caught a glimpse of what looked like feet in the corner of her eye and whipped around. There was. A pair of bare feet covered in blood and mud was peeking out of a thick growth of trees. Suddenly the trees above her rustled and she heard a hiss. Something dropped from the trees above separating her from the person in the trees. It hissed as it snatched the wand out of her hand with great speed.

"HARRY!" She screamed as fear made her hair stand on end and chills ran up her spine.

The vampire approached her as it tossed her wand to the forest floor. She scrambled for her wand but the thing kicked it out of reach. Hermione shuddered and looked up at it.

"Shouldn't walk alone at night" The vampire said stepping towards her, its voice smooth like velvet and deadly.

Hermione thought of the feet protruding from the trees and began to cry. Unarmed and without her wand she was useless. _Stop it, what's wrong with you_, she scolded herself. She knew it had attacked once already tonight, she was sure of it, and she was next on its list. Without her wand she could do nothing, and it was her fault. _I'm going to die, _she thought. _They'll come looking for me, us, and they'll find us both dead._

"Get away from me!" She screamed tripping over a fallen branch whilst trying to find her wand in the darkness.

She scooted across the ground trying to get as far away from the vampire as possible. A split in the trees let the moon shine through and she saw the vampire's teeth gleaming in a wicked grin. She screamed with all her might. It was an ear piercing sound and the vampire covered its ears. Suddenly a flash of white light shot by taking the vampire with it. It appeared to be a stag and it was holding the vampire off shining with a burning white intensity. The vampire shielded its eyes and raced off with incredible speed, the stag in full pursuit.

"Hermione! Hermione!" Harry bellowed as he slammed into the ground beside her. They heard stomping and heavy breathing as Tonks raced over, wand held high, shining brightly. Harry put his hands on either side of Hermione's face and looked into her eyes; tears were streaming hot down her cheeks as he pulled her into a hug.

"Gods, Hermione. I'm so glad you're okay."

"Harry," She pleaded trying to get his attention. He wasn't listening; he was too busy cursing the blood-sucking, filthy vampires. "Harry!" She yelled at him as Tonks checked her over to be sure she wasn't harmed.

Harry, startled, jumped back. He looked at Hermione as tears seemed to flow faster; she was taking deep breaths, trying to slow her pounding heart. She pointed behind him. He turned around and saw nothing.

"What? What's the matter? I don't see anything," He told her clearly confused.

"Harry, you're wand!" She quietly demanded her tears slowed as he handed her his wand. "Lumos maxima!"

She coughed as a strong beam of light illuminated the area behind him, and in the center of the beam, a pair of feet stuck out from behind a tree. Suddenly the wand went out as Hermione passed out from shock.

"Holy shit," Tonks said standing up. "Harry, I want you to stand right there! Hermione will be fine. She's just had too much excitement."

Harry did as he was told and held his wand out in front of him as she slowly walked closer to the large trees hiding the body from sight. He moved sideways until he could get a full body analysis. When they both had a whole view of the person behind the tree they immediately noticed it was a girl, she was wearing a battered blue dress and was covered in dry blood and mud. Her legs and knees had bad cuts and scratches. Her bare feet were a mixture of brown and red. Grass and leaves were stuck in her blond hair and she had fresh blood dripping from her mouth. Rich black and purple bruises covered her face and arms. Harry wasn't going to wait for Tonks. This girl needed help. Now.

"Harry!" Tonks yelled as he raced from behind her and threw himself down beside the girl's body. He immediately checked for her pulse. _Stupid idiot! What a moron! Why the hell would… _

Tonks' thoughts were interrupted when he hollered "She's alive!" and slowly lifted her into his lap like a small child. He turned her head either direction to look at her neck, no holes. "She wasn't bitten."

Tonks raced over and immediately opened the girl's eyelids flashing the wand into her eyes. Her pupils dilated but she didn't stir. She noticed the blood dripping down her mouth was coming from her swollen split lip. Both of her eyes were growing purple and swollen.

"She's unconscious."

He stroked the hair away from her face and tried to pull some leaves from it. Tonks analyzed her arms and legs, taking in the various large bruises and cuts. She set to healing the worst of the cuts, but she could only do so much. She was an auror, not a healer.

_Jesus, what happened? _She wondered. She had been an auror long enough to know all the possibilities. She could only imagine what had been done to her here in this forest. She shuddered visibly but conjured a patronus ignoring the chills spreading through her body. She sent a verbal message to Remus with her patronus. It raced from sight, blazing brightly through the forest. _Get here soon, Remus, _she called silently.

Tonks took off her cloak and transfigured it into a blanket. She wrapped the girl up in it as she watched Harry. He was silent and that worried her. Harry was only silent when something was really upsetting him or he was about to do something stupid. She knew he had to be upset but she hoped he would not being doing anything rash tonight. She sat down next to Harry keeping a firm grip on her wand and listening for any sounds. Hermione lay a few feet away from them. Tonks watched over them all, but something was bothering her. Chills ran up her spine and her hair stood on end. She looked into the darkness and gasped.

"We want the girl!"

**AUTHORS NOTE: Thanks for reading my second chapter. I know that it isn't perfect. I couldn't bear to have Sirius, Remus, and Tonks dead so I brought them back. Forgive me if it was a bit awkward or unbelievable. The lyrics are bits of Ke$ha's song Take It Off. Please review and let me know what you think of my story. All reviews are welcome. **


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